Container and method of making the same



Jan. 25, 1938. H. G. GRANT 2,106,425v

v CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan 16,1937

Patented Jan. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-"- CONTAINER AND MAKING Tl lfi v Helen G. Grant, Asheville, N. 0.

Original application. January 16, 1937', Serial No. 120,969. Divided and this application June 3 Claims.

This invention relates to packages, and more particularly to containers intended primarily for the packaging of perishable goods such as cakes and other bakery products of a soft and sticky nature. The invention is likewise directed to a method of forming the container.

During more recent years it has become the custom to package various products, including cakes, in a manner which will shield the same from dust, dirt, flies and the like. Since such bakery products are now usually distributed over larger territories than was customary only a, relatively few years ago and are therefore subjected to added handling, many attempts have been made to not only apply protective wrappings to the products but to apply said protection while to a limited extent protecting the soft and tacky products from damage from normal shocks and jars. While containers already known-in the art have proven successful to a limited degree in protecting cakes and the like they have not proven entirely satisfactory for the reasons that they are objectionable from the standpoint of expense or do not provide the desired degree of exhibition of the product without damage to the surface of the contained goods. I

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container for cakes and other perishable products which overcomes the difficulties heretofore encountered in the art. The invention con templates the provision of such a container which is durable in service, capable of being produced and utilized at small expense, and yet one which is ornamental and permits-the substantially unobstructed display of the packaged product.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a simple, yet efficient method by which the supporting elements for the present container may be stamped from sheets of relatively inexpensive material in a condition ready for assembly.

This invention further contemplates utilization of arched crossed frame members secured to a supporting base inwhich thearched members overlie the contained product and impart greater resistance to strain in a direction perpendicular to the base of the package, and in which the arched members are caused to resist circumferential movement by an outer transparent wrapping sheet.

Otherobjects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in. connection with the accompanying drawing wherein; 1

Fig. 1 is an illustration of a blank sheet from 23, 1937, Serial No. 149,961 1 ance with this invention; 7

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalview along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 through a completely wrapped and filled container formed according to this in-v vention; and v Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the completed and filled package.

Now in referring to the drawing in detail, the

sheet material from which the more rigid members of the present package are stamped by a die is illustrated at l0. This sheet is preferably cardboard, light wood ply or wood pulp board or sheet metal, for although many materials are capable of being utilized from the mechanical standpoint, in a device of the present nature low cost of production is of decided importance. Mat board tough check railroad ply has been found to be very satisfactory for this purpose.

Sheet [0 is stamped in a manner to permit as complete utilization as possible. It has been found that in packaging products of the type referred to above that the stamped sections H of theshape indicated are particularly suitable since the rounded corners l2 formed with the slots l3 constitute projections which act as'fastening means for the sections I4 after they are assembled in the manner to be hereinafter more fully described. I

Sections M as stamped are constituted of the material in sheet it) immediately bordering the described above are in the form of fiat thin sec-.

tions, they having been stamped from flat sheets without being distorted. I;Ience the sections may plan view of the assembledarched be readily shipped and stored in large quantities without requirement of a prohibitive amount of space.

In utilizing the present container in the packaging of products, a base section II is placed on a fiat surface and a pair of arched sections l4 are secured together by placing the arched section provided with slot l6 over and perpendicular to the section having slot l1 and the sections are then pressed together.

The method of wrapping the more rigid parts of the container may be by wrapping in a sheet of Cellophane in any known manner but it is preferable that the sheet be folded under the base with its folded portions being secured by an adhesive, by sealing or clips. The wrapping sheet not only affords a protection for the product against dust, flies and the like but it additionally provides a frictlonally contacting restraining means. for the embed members I 4. Since the arched members are with the elongated dimensions of their cross sections extending perpendicular to the baseof the package so as to resist compressive action said members normally present little resistance to transverse movement. However, since the wrapping sheet closely engages the arched members the frictional contact had therewith materially aids the arched members and enables the entire package to resist shocks and the like as a unit.

When an article such as'a cake is packaged in the manner described it will not only withstand the shocks of transportation in a large measure because any force tending to displace the 'cake will cause the cake to first contact the supporting members which will make a slight indentation in the surface of the cake instead of damaging a substantial portion of the surface thereof as would occur if the cake were packed in a box but the cake will be displayed in a substantially unobstructed manner with enhanced eye appeal". It will be clear that the covering of the container does not contact the cake as is, the case when a cake is directly wrapped in a material such as paper or Cellophane. When, as in the past, the wrapping itself is permitted to contact with the surface of a cake or other soft; sticky article, a portion of the surface of the article adheres to the wrapping and the surface of the product is thereby destroyed.

The present container permits practically unobstructedview of the contained article due to the thin nature of the supporting members. Heretofore in the use of inexpensive packages, unobstructed vision has been obtained only by directly wrapping the article, such as a cake, in Cellophane which adhered to the sticky surface of the cake and damaged the appearance thereof in the manner set forth above.

The light weight, and strength of thejpresent container make it possible to handle the package alone. Furthermore the article may be displayed in the same container in which it is shipped and arouse the use of the arched members to form a hood over the product permits of color combinations of the parts of the container and the product which produce the desired appeal to the purchasing public.

While the particular shapes and construction of the parts of the container have been specifically setforth above, it is to be understood that 1 having at least two pairs of openings in the surface thereof and-at least two arched members from that portion of the sheet immediately adjacent the portion of which the base member is constituted, thereafter inserting the arched members into the said openings in the base member with the said arched members their greatest cross sectional dimension arranged perpendicular to the plane of the base member and with the greater portion of the length thereof spaced above the base member.

2. A method of producing a container support from flat sheet material comprising die stamping from a flat, substantially rigid sheet a base member having at least two pairs of openings in the surface thereof and at least two arched members from that portion of*the sheet immediately adjaplane 'of the base member and with the greater portion of the length thereof spaced above the 7 base member.

3. A method of producing a container support from flat sheet material comprising forming from a flat, substantially rigid sheet a base member and at least two arched members from that portion of the sheet immediately adjacent the portion of which the base member is constituted, thereafter joining the arched members to the base by bringing the ends thereof into frictional engagement with the base member, the said arched members being positioned with their greatest cross sectional dimension arranged perpendicular to the plane of the base member and with the greater portion of the length thereof spaced above the base member.

HELEN G. GRANT. 

